Sunday, September 9, 2012

Sensational: Patrick Vale created a time-lapse video shot as he sketched the Manhattan skyline from the top of the Empire State BuildingThere he sat, armed himself with an iPhone Duct-taped onto a tripod and began filming himself as his hand flew across the canvas.

This is one alien in New York who will certainly be welcomed back.London based artist Patrick Vale has become an internet sensation after posting a stunning time-lapse video shot as he sketched the Manhattan skyline from the top of the Empire State Building.Driven by a desire to prove he draws freehand Vale traveled up the skyscraper to the observation deck on the 102nd floor four days in a row.

Building the city: Bit by bit the skyline starts to take shape

To the untrained eye the finished drawing looks remarkably accurate, but Vale said that while he 'keeps an eye on the scale and proportion of things' he isn't bothered about time-consuming perfectionism.'I'm not that precious about drawing a true representation,' he told the Huffington Post. 'I just try to let the pen decide what needs to be shown.'You kind of have to just go for it and stop before its overworked.' That said he breaks his own rule toward the end of the video, repeatedly correcting one particularly tricky building.

Lengthy process: The drawing took Vale four days to complete

'I think I kept drawing the roof too big, so i used correcting fluid a few times,' he said.'You can see it in the time lapse disappearing and reappearing, but it was satisfying to get that right!'The time-lapse lasts less than a minute and a half, with buildings appearing on the skyline at a fittingly rapid rate for a city that never stops.'I wanted to try and capture the energy and spirit of the place through the line and what better way to do that than with a time lapse, he said.Since being posted on YouTube and Vimeo the video has gone viral, receiving praise from viewers across the world.

Popular: Vale is releasing silk screen prints at $480 a piece

'Morning everyone! If I haven't already thanked you personally for sharing the Empire State of Pen video and for liking the page - THANK YOU! I really do appreciate all your support,' he wrote on Facebook on Friday.Such is the overwhelming popularity of Vale's drawing that he is releasing silk screen prints at $480 a piece.